In this 3- day workshop we will be creating a modular (3 over 3) panel installation. Each panel should work on their own and be integral to the installation as well. We will establish a color palette with both our collage papers and paint. Bring your abstract ideas and your aesthetics as we use our compositional skills and apply the techniques of gluing, painting, sanding, peeling and collaging to create our abstractions. This parameter allows us to fully focus on our design, mark making, and balance skills, as well as allowing a manageable interplay between our panels.

Michael Shemchuk is an abstract artist living and working in Northern California. Born in the blue-collar mill town of Lowell Massachusetts in 1954, Shemchuk realized at an early age that his keen eye for color and form, burning curiosity, and love of adventure would necessitate a departure from the culturally spare town of Lowell.

Largely self-taught, Shem did not emerge on the art scene in a conventional fashion. Following his native skills and sensitivities as an artist, his career has criss-crossed the world of applied arts and visual expression. Influenced by studies at the Academy of Art College and California State University, SF, Shem combined his love for photography, color, and abstraction. The result was an unusual amalgamation of interest and influences. Leveraging his practical skills, Shem supplemented his nascent career as a mixed media artist by practicing the craft of faux finish from the late eighties until 2000.

Shem’s work has evolved over the last two decades, shaped directly by a close engagement with material and process. From the onset, Shem’s focus has been on abstraction and design. Influenced by his earlier faux finish work, Shem’s Meridian series, begun in the late nineties, used paint and plaster as primary media. In 2014, Shem became interested in the changes in art-making stemming from shifts in technology. His response was to re-evaluate traditional materials such as paper and paint, thus simplifying his approach to abstraction with the Tags series. In 2017, Shem was inspired to further his pursuit of abstraction and design by streamlining his materials and employing process as integral to his work. The result is his Surface Tension series, which is based on an organic process involving water, paper, pressure, friction, and time.

In addition to his art-making, Shem teaches the principles of Abstraction by Design (AbD) to students and fellow artists via workshops and private mentoring. His experiences as a teaching artist over the last four years have inspired and deepened his appreciation for creative community and collaboration.

Statement

“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” -Leonard Cohen

In my journey, I have visited this quote many times. As a self-taught artist these words have provided me with a launching pad and a landing site in pursuit of my work. Awareness of the light has assisted me in recognizing my aesthetic and teaching skills. Sensitivity to the light has guided me in choosing the paths presented before me.

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Payment info:

Friday, May 29th, Saturday, May 30th and Sunday, May 31st, 2020

The cost of the workshop is $775.00

A $100.00 non-refundable non-transferable deposit holds your space.

Please let me know right away if you would like to join in and I will confirm space availability. Spaces fill up quickly!

Balance due:

April 17th, 2020: $675.00

Cancellation policy:

In the event of cancellation after the workshop is paid in full by April 17th, 2020, $665 will be refunded if someone from the waiting list is able to attend. Non-payment of the $675 balance by April 17th, 2020 may result in someone form the waiting list taking the space so please be sure to watch for the balance due email announcement and please be in touch if there are any changes.